Note:Drought categories are based on broad-scale indicators over "climate districts" (the gray division lines on the U.S. map above). The Midwest and state maps below it attempts to delineate the drought categories on a smaller scale map. Note that because the categories do not follow county lines, the "transition areas" on the regional and state maps may be larger than indicated above. Also, small-scale factors, such as localized heavy rain from thunderstorms, may affect the drought level over a small area, which may not necessarily be reflected in the maps above.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly collaborative effort between a number of federal agencies including NOAA/ NWS, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Details and explanations of the Drought Monitor can found at:https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu

The drought monitor is a multi-agency effort involving NOAA's National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center, the USDA, State and Regional Center Climatologists and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Information for the drought statements has been gathered from NWS, FAA and CoCoRaHS observation sites, Iowa State and Illinois Cooperative Extension Services, the USDA, COE and USGS.